Small Town Secret
by NoZoMi17
Summary: Ed and Al have to visit this small town...and they have to get there by foot...and what's wrong with Ed? is he sick?...or is it something else? Disclaimer...please R
1. Loss Of Appetite

Chapter 1- loss of appetite

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"New story….unknown title….unknown length…..all I know is……what's in my heart."

_That's what I was thinking when I started this story, _

_Please keep in mind this is not following any storyline..._

"Edward and Alphonse Elric, the two of you are to visit a small town about 50 miles east of central." Roy said smirking. Ed looked at him disapprovingly.

"Ok. So…how do when does the train leave?" Roy Laughed slightly.

"It doesn't. This town is far to remote to be reached by any train. They don't believe in automobiles ether so…you have to walk. Oh and you have to be there by tomorrow." Ed felt as though he could have rung the Colonel's neck if Al hadn't of held him back.

"So when do we have to report back here?" Al asked while trying to calm his yelling older brother down.

"I want you back in three days. No excuses. When you get there, tell them that you are the last representatives that we are sending. That if they want more help with finances, they need to advance technologically." Al nodded and dragged Edward out of the office. He and his brother walked down the hall. Alphonse would of had a content look on his face while Ed's stayed solemn. Al looked over to his brother and laughed.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" he asked annoyed. Al was just happy to be able to spend this valuable time with his brother. They reached the front doors of central headquarters and proceeded to walk out until Major Armstrong had flagged them down.

"Elric Brothers! Please wait!" they turned around and he handed them a map. "I believe you may need this." He stated smiling.

"Thank you so much major." Al said. The Major saluted and watched them walk out.

_4 hours later…._

"UGH! Are we there yet, Al!?" Edward asked as he shivered slightly under his famous red cloak. Al simply shook his head and answered,

"I'm afraid not brother. But we don't have much farther." He turned around to view his brother. "Are you cold?" he asked. Of course Ed snorted.

"Of course not, I just wish we were there already is all." Al noticed that his brother was tired. His pace had slowed severely. Al's metal suit clanked loudly, and each time it echoed in Edward's head. Although, Al did not know this. And Edward was going to keep it that way. That is, if he had anything to say about it. The brothers kept trudging through the thick forest as night fell. Edward had involuntarily pulled his jacket closer to his body as the temperature dropped. Suddenly, lights came into view. Al looked up and said,

"Look Brother! It's the town." Ed breathed a sigh of relief. He was freezing and extremely hungry.

"Let's hurry and find a place to stay." He said practically running down the hill to the small town below. _The Colonel wasn't kidding. This town is small._ Edward thought to himself as he slowed down and walked inside of a building. Inside were many people sitting around, just having a good ole time. He walked over to a waitress and asked, "Do you know where my brother and I can stay for the night?" the waitress smiled and nodded.

"Sure thing hun' just follow me." She walked over to another woman at a bar. Apparently she was the bartender. "Ersella, got coupl of 'em for ya." Said the waitress. The woman named Ersella nodded and looked at Ed and Al.

"Well, hello boys, what can I do ya fer?" Ed smiled.

"Uh, we'd like a room for two please." The woman punched some umbers on her machine, and,

"That'll be –" The woman stopped once realizing that her young customer had a silver pocket watch on his belt. She frowned. "Tell me, what are the two of you doing way out here, huh?" Ed and Al looked at each other, knowing that the jig was up.

"We're here from Central. We need to speak with the mayor tomorrow. We have an important message to give to him." The woman gave them two keys.

"Here the room is free." She handed them the keys and walked away. Ed stood there dumbfounded for just a minute. He felt glad that he didn't pay for the room but somewhat bad at the same time. Ignoring this, he and Al walked up the stairs to the room. Ed used the key and stepped inside immediately shedding his boots and jacket. He sprawled out on the bed and looked at the ceiling. Al picked up his messy brother's belongings off the floor and placed them neatly elsewhere. He turned to his brother,

"Brother, aren't you hungry? You should go down stairs and eat something." Ed merely said,

"No, I'm not hungry anymore. I'm too tired." He curled up and got under the blankets. He _had_ been hungry, but for some reason didn't know why he wasn't anymore. He pushed this thought to the back of his mind as he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Just A Cold

_Ok so I know I said that I was gonna update like a couple days after I uploaded the first chapter…..well….we have had some technical difficulty at home….and well without my further blabbering….chapter 2…._

_**Oops forgot the disclaimer…..really wish I owned it….but don't….. :'-( **_

_He wandered the halls of, of, where was he anyway? He was searching, but forwhat, he did not know. All he could see was darkness. It was as if he was blind to the world. Not seeing, not feeling, not hearing, just wandering with out any indication of where he was headed, where he came from, or where he was going. He wished he had just fallen into a black hole just feel some sort of sensation. And then he felt it. Suddenly, he could feel again. Not being able to think straight, he ran, ran far away; or so** he** thought. That mockery was only in itself a dream, as his pursuer only drew nearer. Not being able to run fast enough, a stinging sensation slowly crept over his being as he felt himself fall…_

"Brother? Brother you need to wake up?" Ed awoke with a slight start. His breathing was heavy and he felt like whatever was chasing him had actually executed its assault. He felt like his body weighed a ton. It ached and sweat had beaded on his forehead. He laid back down on the somewhat comfortable bed the inn had provided. Alphonse took a good look at his brother. He looked pale. This could have been explained from his dreams; although, his cheeks seemed to have a rosy sort of tint to them. This could not be an outcome of some nightmare. But the nightmare may have been the outcome of a very force full fever. This could also explain his brother's rejection of food from the night before. Alphonse made a quick note of his brother's condition and thought he should keep an eye on him for the time being. Thinking that it was just a cold; it would probably work itself out.

Or so he had hoped…

_Ok yeah I know..really short chapter…I want to thank _Cruel Angel's Love and EarthxAngel….._thanks a bunch….sorry if it was a little confusing…I hope now it makes a little more sense!!!_


	3. Suspision

_Don't injure me…I know the last chapter was really short….but…well…it felt like the perfect opportunity for a cliff hanger…sorry…well chapter 3 coming at ya!!!!!_

_**Disclaimer- ya'll know the drill…..**_

Chapter 3- Suspision

_Edward had insisted that he was fine. And to him, he truly was. He believed in the 'mind over matter' way of thinking. He continued to tell himself he was fine and believed it. Of course this was flawed, and Alphonse knew it. Especially since, Al knew his brother didn't worry about his own health. At least, not until he had buckets of blood escaping his body, **then** Ed cared. Sometimes then he didn't care. But Edward was always stubborn, even as a child. So, Al decided it was best to just leave his brother alone about it as much as physically possible. Physically possible meaning until Ed's body has had about as much of being sick as he can stand, sometimes literally. And this time, wasn't much different. _

"Brother are you sure your—"

"I'm fine Al." Ed said beginning to get annoyed. He quickened his pace towards the town's central building. Al quickly followed, right on his brother's heels.

"But brother, you look really ill. I think you should stay inside. If you continue to walk around in the snow, you'll only make it worse." Ed grunted, and turned on his heels.

"Al I promise you, I-Am-Fine, ok? I don't feel sick and I'm sure that I don't look sick either." He said smiling. Alphonse tilted his head.

"Well, I hate to disappoint you but…" he trailed off. Making Ed return a scowl and stomp off. "Brother wait up!" Al called out to his angry older brother. He quickly took off running to catch up to him. Once he reached his brother, they were in front of the main building. Edward quickly walked inside, wasting no time to get warm. The entry way was most grand. Marble floors, huge paintings and not a soul in sight. Each step Ed took echoed loudly throughout the great corridor. A look of interest and confusion spread across the young alchemist's face. Al paused for a moment before asking, "Brother, where is everybody?" Ed turned around and took notice of the silence that rested over the town. The night before was filled with many houses being lit, lots of laughter, and voices. Today, it seemed as though this whole town didn't exist. Like it had been wiped out. They exited the large establishment and began to look for someone, anyone in the town who could tell them what was going on. They searched windows, stores, and even the inn they had stayed in. they found no one, until…

"Mr. Elric, what are you doing out in this weather?" said the woman. Ed recognized her as the woman who had given him his room key. She was carrying something in her hands, a bottle it looked like. Although he couldn't make out what its contents were, so he decided to answer her question.

"I was looking for the guy in charge around here. I figured it would be best to start my inspection as soon as possible. So, where is he?" He finished with a smirk. The woman frowned slightly before plastering a smile.

"Oh, he's not in. He left on a business trip to East city. He should return in the next couple days. I'm sorry I must have forgotten to mention that." She smiled wider this time. Ed returned the smile and waved his hand towards her.

"Oh that's ok. We'll just stay here and wait for him." He began walking back towards the inn. The woman eyed them as they entered, cursing under her breath. She needed to finish what she started, and she couldn't do it if that Elric boy was around. She started walking again, she then stopped as a manicale smile crept across her features. _Or, could she_?


	4. Confession

Ooooo….i wonder whats gonna happen next….LOL

Chapter 4- Confession

Ed looked out the window, enjoying watching the snow fall. He wondered whether or not he and Al could actually make it back to central in this weather. Although this thought was quickly brushed away an earth shattering cough spell. Ed began to cough violently. Each one racking his form in a way he had never felt before. He began to gasp for air. On que, Al had opened the door to see his brother shaking on his bed, coughing violently. Al ran downstairs and fetched a glass of water. He helped Ed drink it. Thankfully, Ed had stopped coughing. Although, it left him out of breath and tired. He laid outstretched on the bed panting.

"Brother?" It took Ed a moment to answer and even then his speech was broken due to lack of air.

"I'm….fine Al…really." Of course Al didn't believe his brother. Instead of arguing with him he simple asked a question.

"If your fine, why did you start coughing like that?" Ed didn't have an answer and that worried Alphonse.

"I don't know. I feel like shit and I have no idea why." Al would have rolled his eyes.

"That's because you're sick. It doesn't happen for a reason. It just happens. The other night when you had a nightmare, I think you had a fever. From the looks of it, you might have one now." Ed sat up, his face was starting to look rosey and he really did look worse than the previous night. He felt fatigued. He stood, his legs shaking in protest. "Where are you going?" Al asked sternly.

"To see if I can contact the Colonel, to let him know that I'm going to be a little late in returning." Al stood in front of his brother, who at the moment couldn't have held off a kitten if he tried.

"You need to lie down and rest. I'll go call the Colonel." And with that, Al walked out of the room. Ed smiled, knowing that Al would take care of it. He turned around and sat on the bed. Carefully, he leaned over and took off his boots. He pulled back the thick blankets and snuggled underneath them, allowing his mid to drift towards a peaceful sleep.


End file.
